ABOUT US

This wasn’t 2008. This was seven decades before. In the aftermath of the Great Depression, the Henry George School of Social Sciences was born. The Henry George School was founded in 1932 as part of a reform movement that sought to establish fundamental economic justice and sustainable prosperity for all. The movement’s primary goal was to bring about the land value tax or single tax advocated by George in his classic work, Progress and Poverty. This book, spurred by an even earlier period of economic and social upheaval, remains the all-time bestselling book on political economy. Winston Churchill, Leo Tolstoy, John Dewey and Albert Einstein were among the influentials who endorsed George’s proposals.

Since the school’s founding, tens of thousands of students have taken courses and attended seminars in economics and social philosophy. The Henry George School remains dedicated to its founding principles:

Educate people about the philosophies of visionary economist Henry George

Explain the importance of these philosophies in the global landscape of the 21st century

Explore the economic issues of today’s world

Encourage and promote economic and social justice

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Susan Schuyler, President

Mary Hardin, 1st Vice President

Edward Nell, 2nd Vice President

Denise Favorule, Secretary

Gilbert Herman, Treasurer

Nibaldo Aguilera

Billy Fitzgerald

Edward Harrison

Fryda Ossias

Jeffrey Previdi

Marty Rowland

Willi Semmler

Irving Starer

Maria Temple

Alan Tonelson

BOARD OF ADVISORS

Ron Reis

Colleen Woodell

Who Was Henry George? And why does he have a school named after him?

In the aftermath of the economically disastrous long depression of the 1870s, a California journalist named Henry George studied a distinctive dilemma of modern capitalism: the fact that progress seemed to deepen social inequality and economic instability. The result was Progress and Poverty (1879), a book that challenged widely accepted doctrines of property rights and laissez-faire. This surprising bestseller changed the way many people thought about and understood political economy.

Henry George proposed a simple solution to the problems of economic inequality and industrial depression. In contrast to others of his era, George singled out one of the most cherished institutions of liberal capitalist societies: private property in land. He called for replacing all federal, state, and local taxes with one tax on the full value of land—the “Single Tax”.

Neither a property tax nor a land tax, the single tax only applied to the socially created value of land. George understood that land values increase as a result of the location of land near schools, hospitals, businesses, and the like. Taxing only land values, he believed, would generate all the revenue needed to operate government and produce greater levels of opportunity.

His proposal became known as “the Single Tax” and those who supported it were called “Single Taxers”. The Henry George School of Social Science was founded to educate people about this visionary philosophy and how it continues to resonate from 1879 to the economics of today.

Contribute to the Henry George School of Social Science

The Henry George School of Social Science is committed to free education in economics. We all know that “free” still takes effort and costs money.

Your support is vital in enabling the Henry George School to continue its important work, educating people in economic theories affecting the world today. The school also spreads the philosophy and policy of Henry George, whose ideas are as timely as ever.

The school relies on funds from a wide range of sources. Your generous donation helps ensure that our mission continues.

Our organization is a 501(c)(3), and your donation is tax-deductible.

Please consider supporting us today.

Or, checks can be mailed to:Henry George School of Social Science149 East 38th StreetNew York, New York 10016

NYC Office

Notice of Non-Discrimination PolicyThe Henry George School of Social Science admits students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin, age, gender or sexual orientation. The programs and activities of the School are available to all students on an equal basis.